


orbit

by withoutwords



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Food, M/M, More Fluff, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:28:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23239219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withoutwords/pseuds/withoutwords
Summary: Ben stopped caring about his birthdays when he was nine.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 12
Kudos: 139





	orbit

**Author's Note:**

> this one is for lucres who requested a shared birthday fic for our boys. hope you enjoy this lovely! and I hope everyone else does too :) fluff, fluff, fluff!

Ben stopped caring about his birthdays when he was nine. The year before no one had remembered, and in the end he’d gotten a second hand video game and a cake that looked like Louise had made it in preschool. 

The lower his expectations the easier they were to survive.

There’d been a few over the years he would remember. As a new teen getting blind drunk with his mates and forgetting all his problems. The first with Lexi, and her absolute rapture at watching Ben open gifts. The one year with Paul, getting to spend a few stolen moments together and pretend it could always be like that.

Now this one, with Callum.

He’s sure that as quiet as it might be, he won’t forget it.

_ I been thinking _ , Callum sends in a text, obviously slacking off at the parlour.

_ anything but thinking _ , Ben teases back.

_ ha ha. I thought we could cancel dinner tomorrow and go out on our own. _

Callum obviously reads Ben’s mind at that, because he quickly follows up with,

_ breakfast and lunch with lexi of course. then maybe into town, just the two of us? _

Ben feels a little silly to feel a shiver trickle down his spine at that - smiling to himself as he quickly texts back,

_ sounds perfect _

_ * _

Lexi gives Ben a melamine plate she made at school, with a drawing of the five of them. Mum, Dad, Jay, Callum and Lexi. Ben does a really bad job of trying to hide his tears, burying his face in her neck as he envelopes her in his arms. 

She gives Callum a keyring with the same photo, Lola later telling Ben what she’d said to him. “Even though it’s not your birthday yet, I wanted you to have it now so you don’t lose the key to our house.” Callum’s a goner. He doesn’t even try to hide it.

They have pancakes with fruit and ice-cream and syrup, that rolls onto a cheese platter, and cake, and beer, and by the time they’re set to catch their ride into town, Ben and Callum are practically too engorged and tired to roll out of the house.

“Don’t have too much fun,” Jay says teasingly as they go, making sure Ben knows exactly what he says and exactly what he means. Lexi protests with,

“No, have lots of fun!” and makes Jay almost collapse back into the house with his laughter.

They put their bag into the boot of their Uber, and huddle together in the backseat, and Callum leans back to say,  _ Great day? _

Ben smiles, and means it.

One of the best. “Not over yet.” 

*   


They sit shoulder to shoulder at a little Indian restaurant right by their hotel, enjoying naan and curry and rice and twisting their legs together under the table. Callum’s phones out, because Ben would rather be curled up beside him and watching him type than too far away and lip-reading.

“We’ve never talked about birthdays,” he says, using his bread to mop up some food. His mum’s not here to scold him.

_ I’ve never really liked them _ , Callum types. 

“Yeah, same here. Your family were bollocks at them too?”

He feels Callum laugh, the graze of their shoulders.  _ Absolutely. One year I got a SpiderMan costume with the web-shooter though. That was good.  _

This time Ben laughs. “Such a nerd.”

Callum pushes him with an elbow and Ben pushes back, and it somehow dissolves into a play-fight that ends with a very messy kiss. Ben’s not sure if the looks they’re getting are admiration or annoyance.

“Let’s get out of here,” Ben tells Callum, seeing his eyes have gone dark so he’s probably thinking the same thing.

Callum nods quickly, and they go to pay their bill and head to their room.

*

As much as they’ve struggled along the way, they’ve always been good at this. Intimacy, and heat, and sex. Being a part of one another, knowing how to. Even that first night at the park, Callum flailing about like a fish on a hook - it was heady, and shocking and addictive.

Ben misses the sounds, he misses the short, and faint little noises Callum made - the grunts and wheezes that got louder, that turned into words, into Ben’s name, because he just couldn’t control it.

It’s still amazing though. Ben’s sure it always will be. From lazy hand jobs and morning blow jobs, to Callum fucking him half of their bed and Ben’s hands cramping in the sheets.

“Please,” Ben’s saying as Callum gets him onto his back on their hotel bed. “Need you inside me, Cal, c’mon.”

Callum takes Ben’s face in his hands, tells him,  _ I got you _ , and Ben knows it, he does. Every time.

Callum finds the lube, the condoms, gets Ben wet and open with three fingers and his mouth - has him arched toward the ceiling and begging for it. Ben wraps his arms and legs around Callum, shouting as Callum pushes the head of his dick inside him.

Ben likes to close his eyes and feel it. Appreciate it in a new way. The pressure, and the pulsing, the pain and the pleasure. The smell of Callum’s sweat and cologne, the short little breaths he can feel on his skin. The tightening of his muscles around Ben’s clawing fingernails.

He likes to imagine Callum calling his name, and the bed banging against the wall and his own voice shouting and being heard, “Yes, fuck, harder, please.”

It’s intense, and sexy, and beautiful.

_ They _ are. Together.

*

They get room service and have breakfast in bed. They sit either side of the tray and fight over toast, cereal, pancakes and fruit. Ben’s not sure why he’s always amazed at how much Callum can eat - considering the size of him and his truly fantastic performance last night.

Ben should probably be feeding him more.

Callum throws a strawberry at him when he says this.

“I’m gonna cheat like my daughter, and give you your birthday present early,” Ben tells him, climbing off the bed and going to their bag where he’d hidden it in some rolled up socks. Ben loves the confused look on his face.

“What,” Ben sees him say, waving at him to be quiet as he goes to sit back down.

As Ben pulls the gift from its hiding place, he starts to feel a little silly. Maybe Callum will hate it, maybe it’s too much - hell, maybe it’s not enough. Maybe he’s ready for some jewelry that’s a little more significant.

“The pendant is a compass,” Ben explains, not able to meet Callum’s eye as he pushes the breakfast tray to the side and moves in closer. “I mean, you’re gonna be a copper and I … well I’ve got no idea what’s gonna happen with me and I just thought, you know, no matter what directions we go in we can always find our way back. Together.”

They’re knee to knee now, [the necklace](https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1/image?client=tablet-android-telstra-au&bih=964&biw=602&hl=en&sxsrf=ALeKk03mZfyt-LFUrPdhsOjYvQvyWi2nbQ:1584757735161&q=eternal+love+necklace+to+buy+for+men&prds=cs:1,paur:ClkAsKraX9PyRpwxIPjwHLocGWtpfm-Og3QepFCJttIaRCs21xy7AzLEoz5CkrrmTGDwe0THD7ldvEvaxgZGbbNCZB2FxHy5AYQF4lCPW9Mm8QwcOzy4NuRPXxIZAFPVH727z6dq7SsRD6V_8_NjapjAdpcjVg,pid:1332979060523862471,sgro:iv,mvi:0) draped over Ben’s hand and shining in the light pouring through the window. When Ben finally looks at Callum his eyes are red, wiping at them before reaching out to Ben. He grasps at his knee.

Thank you.

“Here, I’ll put it on.”

Ben leans in, Callum’s head ducked close to let him get around. They’re so close, Ben feels so warm, breathing a sigh of relief when he’s done and Callum pulls him into his arms. They hold each other for a long moment, heavy and real.

_ It’s perfect _ , Callum says when they pull apart, the necklace stark against his chest.  _ I love it _ .

“Not too cheesy?”

Callum grins. “Just cheesy enough.”

Ben thumbs at the pendant, and Callum grabs his hand, pulling him in and pushing him down onto the bed for a kiss.

Ben feels the breakfast tray against his foot, kicking out of his way.

He’s sated.

*

Ben finds a note on Callum’s pillow later, waking up, dozy, from a nap. He smiles and pulls it to his chest.

_ I’ll never lose my way to you. _

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thefancyspin.tumblr.com


End file.
